"I was thinking the same thing myself. It seems Your Minister and I are of one mind." Yuan Yuchuan forced a smile and, with no other choice, followed Jing Xunche's lead down the steps.
"Then I shan't keep His Majesty any longer. I bid the Emperor farewell," Jing said, bowing formally.
They had come in like a storm and left with their tails between their legs. The gathered townspeople were none the wiser—only aware that the marquis's wife was pregnant and that the marquis himself had been wounded. Everything else remained a mystery to them.
"Master, Miss An has arrived." Zhu Fei led a young woman forward and stopped before Mu Fengqie.
An? Mu Fengqie recognized the face and suddenly remembered who she was. She had not expected An to still be lingering in the household; she'd assumed the girl had left long ago.
"Miss An, please sit," Mu Fengqie said, signaling to Zhu Fei to bring a chair.
"Thank you, Princess." An's voice was steady as she took the seat. "I've come to ask—please take me as your apprentice. Even as a maid, I'll accept it. I only beg you to keep me here."
Her eyes were earnest. Mu Fengqie recalled she had thought of coming to see her the moment she returned, but the rumor of the princess's pregnancy and frail health had made her wait two days.
"Are you sure?" Mu Fengqie asked slowly. "You should know, Prince Wen does care for you to some degree. If you wanted to wait, you could. He might—"
"I have nothing left with Prince Wen." An's tone cut the sentence off. "If there's anything between us now, it's hatred. You might not know—when I was at home, the physician who treated me was sent by Prince Wen. He said the man was the Valley Master's head from the Apothecary Valley. I believed him foolishly...for more than ten years. The chronic poison inside me was put there by them. I don't know why Prince Wen did it. I only know he's not worth waiting for."
A flash of hatred passed over An's features. If not for Prince Wen she might have had a better life, perhaps at least a healthy body; instead she survived day to day by taking medicines.
"When you asked me to take you as an apprentice—what exactly did you mean?" Mu Fengqie asked.
"I want to study medicine under the Valley Master." An's gaze did not waver. She had been sick so long she knew something about treating common complaints; her family had practiced medicine, and she'd picked up a basic foundation by watching and helping.
Mu Fengqie hesitated. She did not want to take An as a disciple—she could tell the girl's feelings were not as straightforward as they sounded. Prince Wen might come back for her and stir up endless trouble. Yet looking into those bright, hopeful eyes made refusal impossible. She remembered when she left before, that same girl had eyes gone dull, drained of life. If anything could bring her back now, it would be the decision to let go and start anew.
"All right," Mu Fengqie said at last. "I can accept you. But understand this: if you fail any of my tests later on, I will not keep you. I take disciples seriously."
The servants had heard that An's character was decent; now it would be down to her talent and diligence.
"Thank you, Valley Master—no, thank you, Master." An smiled, a small, determined thing. Whatever the trials, she would work for it.
Mu Fengqie had settled An's matter when she suddenly remembered Miss Chen—the girl she'd once sent someone else to treat. She wondered how things had turned out there.
"Zhu Fei, go fetch Miss Chen of the Chen House tomorrow," Mu Fengqie instructed. "Tell her I wish to see her and reminisce."
"Yes, Mistress. I also learned something: after we left, Lord Chen sent the second Miss Chen into the palace. She's now one of the emperor's favored consorts—apparently a noble lady." Zhu Fei relayed the gossip she had dug up.
Mu Fengqie nodded. She had always known Lord Chen to be greedy and self-serving; he wouldn't have married his daughter to a fool. Going to the palace was the only viable route for a family like his.
"Let them be," she said. "So long as they don't trouble me, I won't trouble them. The palace is no place of blessing—didn't you see how Mu Rendong never returned?"
The next day Miss Chen arrived in a flourish of veils and attendants. Her spirit looked better than before; aside from gaps in her memory and a still-raspy voice, she seemed almost restored. Lord Chen had placed his hopes on her again.
"Princess," Miss Chen offered a formal, sincere bow.
"Stand up. I called you to see how your condition had fared. When I left, I entrusted you to others." Mu Fengqie eyed her from head to toe, satisfied by what she saw.
"Come here. Let me take your pulse." Mu Fengqie motioned.
"Everyone out. The princess will examine me. You may wait outside," Miss Chen said, expression composed.
The servants shuffled out without a second thought. Only when the room emptied did Miss Chen let out a breath and relax into a brief, private smile. "Finally—no one else."
Mu Fengqie smiled at the sight. "How have things been at the Chen House?"
"All fine. Lord Chen trusts me completely again. He suspects nothing, and he's been arranging matches for me these past few days. I plan to act soon." Miss Chen's voice hardened. She would not let Lord Chen sell her off as his daughter; that would be a lifetime of revulsion.
"If you need anything, say the word. The marquis and I will help," Mu Fengqie said.
"Thank you, Princess and Marquis." Miss Chen accepted the offer without hesitation.
"Have you decided where you'll go once this is over?" Mu Fengqie asked.
"Either join a convent or flee far away," Miss Chen replied with a smile. "Anywhere but the capital of the Jian dynasty."
"That makes sense. This place holds too many memories for you. Leaving is best." Mu Fengqie opened a jewelry casket and took out a small pouch of cash, handing it over. "A little token from me—take it. You'll need travel funds."
Miss Chen stared for a beat, then took the pouch. Mu Fengqie knew the girl would never have taken a coin from the Chen household—this gave her the means to leave on her own terms.